1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of cross-country ski bindings and to skis provided with at least one device for binding an article of footwear to the ski. In addition, the invention relates to devices for binding the front end region of an article of footwear to a sports apparatus, such as a cross-country ski, and to assemblies of such apparatus and binding devices.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
In many cross-country ski bindings, or ski binding devices, the connecting mechanism of the boot is in the form of a connector, such as a connecting rod or pin, adapted to be held in a latch or jaw associated with the ski. Examples of such mechanisms are disclosed in the following patent documents: FR-2638974, U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,710, FR-2645764, U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,620, FR-2834473, U.S. Pat. No. 6,811,177, FR-2742060, FR-2856312, U.S. Pat. No. 7,111,865, FR-2738158, U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,963, EP-551899, U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,053, EP-904139, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,135.
In other devices, the boot-connecting mechanism is made in two parts, i.e., either two parallel connectors, i.e., rods or pins (EP-679415, U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,941, FR-2853253, FR-2843310, US-2004/0056449, WO-01/93963, U.S. Pat. No. 6,986,526), or a front stop and a rear engagement element (FR-2776200, U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,537, FR-2733159, U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,478, EP-1100601, WO-00/04965, U.S. Pat. No. 6,644,683, DE-102004018296).
Other devices are disclosed in the patent documents EP-1492598, WO-03/084620, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,097,194, for example.
Various arrangements are known for securing such binding devices onto a cross-country ski. In numerous cases, the anchoring is simply provided by screws, which make it possible to fix the device directly to the ski. In other cases, the binding device is directly glued or welded to the ski, or even elastically nested onto the ski.
The patent document WO-88/04563 proposes a binding device for cross-country skis, which device is mounted on an interface element integrated with the ski. The interface element is provided with a longitudinal guide plate in which the binding device can slide. The binding device has a specific arrangement for blocking its longitudinal position with respect to the interface element. This arrangement includes a vertical screw, which penetrates the ski at the front, on the one hand, and a toothed wheel with a cam cooperating with a lateral rack, on the other hand. The blocking arrangement described in WO-88/04563, therefore, provides for the blocking of the device in any one of a plurality of predefined discrete positions.
The patent document WO-03/002217 discloses a binding device mounted to an interface element which is in the form of a plate covering the upper surface of the ski. The interface plate is screwed onto the ski and the binding device is mounted to the interface plate with no direct contact between the binding device and the ski.
The patent documents WO-2004/045728, US-2006/0145452, and DE-U-202005002010 disclose an interface plate adapted to be glued or welded to the ski. The edges of the plate form a guide onto which the body of the binding device can be slidably engaged.
The patent document DE-102004024881 discloses a binding device mounted on an interface element and having toothed rockers, which are part of the base of the binding and are provided to cooperate with corresponding racks formed on the interface element. This mechanism, like that of the aforementioned patent document WO-88/04563, ensures that the binding device is blocked in one of several predetermined discreet positions without providing for a tightening mechanism.
The patent document DE-U-29724094 discloses an assembly in which a central rail is fixed on the upper surface of a ski. A base, to which a binding device can be secured, has on its lower surface a profile that is complementary to the rail so as to be slidably engaged on the rail. A longitudinal blocking mechanism is provided to ensure the binding device is completely anchored to the ski. This document does not describe any tightening mechanism.
The prior art, according to which the binding devices are screwed directly in a ski, offer greater possibilities for mounting/dismounting the assembly, as well as possibilities for adjusting the longitudinal position on the ski. However, they have drawbacks such as adding weight to the assembly, increasing the binding device relative to the ski, and/or preventing the skier's forces from being directly transmitted to the ski, as well as many factors that negatively affect the performance of the assembly. Furthermore, they all have the same drawback of allowing operational clearances between the binding device and the ski, which negatively affect the precise steering of the ski. Some prior art devices have actually shown that, as the longitudinal locking mechanisms have no retaining/guiding function, the binding device could separate from its interface in the case of a substantial force, such as during a fall.